Random Rise, Fall, And Rebirth Of Natasha Lyonne (15 items)

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  (#14) She Dove Into Her Past With 'Russian Doll'

  The 2019 Netflix show Russian Doll doesn't just feature Lyonne in a starring role - she co-created the series and directed as well. Russian Doll is about a woman named Nadia who is stuck in an infinite loop that forces her to re-live the night of her demise over and over again.

  Lyonne told The Hollywood Reporter, "I think of it as sort of an existential adventure show. I don’t know that there’s really been this show for women just yet. I’m very proud of it and really excited."

  She added to Broadly:

  This show is heavily autobiographical. It’s also heavily fictionalized. It’s almost like a superhero version of me, a person I’d like to be. The person my character is at the end of the show is closer to who I am today. Who she is at the beginning of the show is closer to who I was 15 years ago.
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  (#6) She Got Mainstream Attention After 'American Pie,' But She Doesn't Love It

  Even though American Pie was a huge movie that jump-started a wave of teen comedies in the late '90s and early 2000s, Lyonne isn't sure how she feels about her involvement. She explained her conflicting views to the Los Angeles Times:

  I always had mixed feelings about this movie. It was definitely the movie that made me realize that as a long-term actor you have to slip in some studio pictures if you want to keep doing the independent stuff. It gave me so many legs to be a known commodity, which I'm very grateful to, but on the other hand, I think it's too mainstream for my sensibilities.

  I don't identify with that experience at all. I did not then, and I still don't. It's a very suburban white male trip. I had a hard time relating. It's not a movie I would watch, basically. It feels like a movie for the popular kids at school, of which I am not one. Looking back now I can see its particular quirk and what made it a success.
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  (#11) 'Orange Is the New Black' Made Her Grateful She Never Spent Time In Prison

  Unlike her character on Orange Is the New Black, Lyonne was never incarcerated for an extended period - something for which she told Rolling Stone she is grateful. Lyonne admits that she definitely would have spent periods in prison if it weren't for her ability to hire an impressive lawyer. She said: 

  In my experience of living - for a time - in the underbelly of society, I spent a lot of time in various holding cells. As wild as I was, when the cops show up, and suddenly you’re being handcuffed, it’s so deeply shocking and terrifying, the loss of freedom. I don’t want to make myself off as tougher than I am. I was never put in the prison system, which frankly would not have happened if I wasn’t some actress with a fancy attorney.
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  (#9) She Suffered Serious Health Complications In 2005

  Lyonne fell ill in 2005. She checked into Beth Israel Hospital in New York with hepatitis C, a heart infection, and a collapsed lung. At the time, she was also undergoing methadone treatment for her addiction. In 2015, she told Esquire:

  My body, I was done with it. It wasn't like I was making decisions based on "Oh, this is me partying this weekend, and then I'll get back to life." I was done, checked out, and then shocked and disappointed to find that I was still kicking and gonna have to get it back together again. I just did not expect to return from it.
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  (#5) She Starred In Cult Classics Like 'But I'm A Cheerleader'

  One of Lyonne's cult favorites is the movie But I'm A Cheerleader. It portrayed an adolescent lesbian relationship and underscored common challenges faced by the LGBTQ+ population. Lyonne starred in the film with Clea Duvall.

  During an interview about her career with the Los Angeles Times, Lyonne discussed the extended shelf-life of the film: 

  So many people are so obsessed with being liked, and it's so risky to not be popular or screen-grabbable at all times. That can be a real bummer for the arts. You need ideas that take risks and feel a little bit crazy. One of the joys of being around for so long is I can really see how movies like But I'm a Cheerleader really found its legs - even more so 20 years later. The movies that make insane, original choices end up having the most serious legs.
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  (#12) She Had Heart Surgery In 2012

  After five years of sobriety, Lyonne had heart surgery. Her character on Orange Is the New Black had the same procedure, and Lyonne used her real scar with no added prosthetics. Lyonne admits she's not proud she could rely on her personal experience in the scene. 

  She told People:

  By no means was that an enjoyable scene for me to play. I had to call on memories of painful feelings. And it was tricky because my experience was so similar but yet so far removed.

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